


Shifting Tides

by Warp5Complex_Archivist



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-02-25
Updated: 2006-02-25
Packaged: 2018-08-15 17:00:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8064706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warp5Complex_Archivist/pseuds/Warp5Complex_Archivist
Summary: It's Christmas. (06/19/2003)





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Kylie Lee, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Warp 5 Complex](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Warp_5_Complex), the software of which ceased to be maintained and created a security hazard. To make future maintenance and archive growth easier, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but I may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Warp 5 Complex collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Warp5Complex).

The USS Enterprise drifted through the galaxy. 'Its only mission was to explore, so why rush?' Captain Archer figured. It was Christmas Eve after all, and the whole crew had seemed to lift in spirit (except for T'Pol who insisted that on Vulcan, to celebrate 'Christmas' the Vulcans spent hours locked in rooms meditating). The captain was in his room reading. Archer glanced down to see his beagle on the floor whining at him.

"No." Archer told him. "I'm not going to get you your food now. You ate five minutes ago." The beagle still whined at the captain. The captain continued to read his book. Several minutes later he glanced up at his dog. The beagle hadn't budged. "Oh, alright! I'll get you your food." Archer stood up and began to pour some food. "You know you really need to go on...a..."

The captain glanced out the window and dropped the food. He stood gaping at the outside. For outside the captain's window, was himself.

The captain could make out all his features. From the color of his eyes to his own hair and teeth, Captain Archer could see himself outside the window. The other Archer was in a space suit and appeared to be alarmed that Captain Archer had seen him. The captain outside the vessel quickly pushed away from the window and out of view of Captain Archer. Another figure poked its head around the corner of the window. It was Trip! Trip looked into Captain Archer's room. When he saw the captain, he reacted the same was as the other captain had and escaped from view.

Captain Archer stood stunned. What were he and Trip doing outside the Enterprise? Who was the other him? Archer immediately hailed the bridge to find Malcom in command.

"This is the bridge." Malcom replied. "Who is this?"

"It's me, Malcom." Captain Archer replied.

"Oh, merry Christmas captain!" Malcom commented.

"You too, but I'm coming to the bridge. There's something very urgent I need to talk to several people with. I want Trip, T'Pol, and Doctor Phlox in sickbay as quickly as possible."

"Yes captain." A quite confused Malcom replied and carried out the captain's request.

Once in sickbay, the captain had Doctor Phlox check him over.

"You seem fine, Captain, except for a slightly quickened pulse." The doctor informed him.

"It's nice to see that you're in fine condition and all, captain, but why'd you want us to meet you here?" Trip asked.

"Yes, captain, I too am interested." T'Pol informed Captain Archer. The captain told them all what he'd seen earlier. All of his officers were stunned.

"Any ideas of what was out there?" Captain Archer inquired.

"Well, I can tell you captain, I've been in engineering all morning." Trip said. "The only other place I've been is my quarters."

"T'Pol, is there anything that the Vulcans know of that even might have caused this?" The captain asked his science officer.

"None that I recall." T'Pol said. "Your encounter defies technological logic."

"Doctor Phlox, could I have been hallucinating?"

"It's a possibility, but it isn't likely." The doctor replied.

"If anyone has the same thing happen to them, or any ideas, alert me immediate-"

All of a sudden the ship shook violently. The officers were thrown across the room and slammed into a wall. The ship then seemed to straighten out. Captain Archer made his way to the intercom.

"Malcom, what the hell happened?" Captain Archer demanded.

"Well, sir, I'm not sure. But I think you better get to the bridge. Quickly." Malcom replied.

Captain Archer entered the bridge. He looked out the window to see another Starfleet vessel. It was hard to tell what class from here, though it looked Akira, like the Enterprise itself.

"Hoshi, hail them. I want to know what they're doing on our route." Archer commanded, taking a seat in his captain's chair.

"Yes, sir." Hoshi carried out the captain's request. After a few moments Hoshi shook her head. "The ship isn't responding, sir."

"Malcom, why'd you want me up here so quickly?" Archer inquired.

"Well, sir, I think there's something rather peculiar about the ship: They have the same type of engines as we do." Malcom pointed out.

"But I thought we were the only ship in Starfleet that had that type."

"I thought we were, too, sir." Malcom responded. Archer digested this information.

"Helm, magnify three times, at the saucer section." Archer commanded.

"Aye, sir." Travis carries out the captain's ordered. The viewscreen shifted. The hull of the ship read "NX 001-USS Enterprise".

"T'Pol, Scan behind us." Archer said. "I want to know about anything that might have made this happen."

"Yes, sir." T'Pol leaned down on her science displays. "It appears that we have gone back in time captain. We've fallen through a time hole."

The captain, T'Pol, Malcom, Trip, and Doctor Phlox were all in the captain's ready room. Captain Archer was lost in thought. The ship had fallen through a time hole and had apparently gone back two days into the past. This must have been why the captain saw himself and Trip outside his quarters. But why were they there? What had they been doing? The captain looked around him. The others appeared to be thinking hard as well.

"Well, any questions? Comments? Points to make?" Captain Archer asked.

"This is definitely the reason you saw yourself and Lieutenant Commander Tucker outside your window." T'Pol said.

"You saw what out your window?" Malcom asked, confused.

"I'll tell you later." Archer said. "The question is: what were we doing there." The table fell silent.

"You've lost me." Malcom said, throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation. The captain filled him in. Trip turned to T'Pol.

"How'd you know we had the same type of engines?" Trip inquired.

"There was a warp trail. It matched our signature." T'Pol replied.

"But, you couldn't of detected that." Trip looked worried.

"Explain." Captain Archer said, inquisitively.

"Well, captain, the only sensors that can detect that have been offline for three weeks. It's impossible that T'Pol could of picked up our warp signature. Unless..." Trip's voice trailed off.

"Unless, what, Trip?" The captain asked.

"Unless we had an engine leak." Trip said. His face turned white.

"What would happen if that was the case, Trip?" Archer asked.

"Well, sir, if an engine leaks, some of or fuel leaks out, if enough fuel leaks out, out engines could ignite it, and if our engines ignite it..." Trip gulped. "Boom."

" 'Boom'?" T'Pol inquired raising an eyebrow.

"Well, we'd blow up. The fuel would explode and we'd be incinerated." Trip replied. The table fell silent again.

"Trip, can the leak be closed manually?" Captain Archer asked.

"I s'pose if you had the right tools." Trip answered. Something clicked in the captain's head. That's what he and Trip were doing. They were fixing the leak. Something struck the captain. How much longer could they slack off? Was it already too late?

"Trip, get those tools and a team of your best engineers. Meet me in the shuttle bay as quickly as you can. T'Pol, you're in command while I'm gone. Everybody's dismissed." Archer commanded and left the room.

The shuttle took off from the docking bay smoothly. Archer, Trip, and three experienced engineers were on the mission. If they didn't succeed, they would all be dead. The shuttle pulled up to the Enterprise as close to the Nacelles as possible without landing on them, which was near the rear of the ship. With the shuttle firmly clamped on to the Enterprise, the three engineers walked onto the ship. The captain and Trip took off in the shuttle. T'Pol had discovered two leaks. One on the Nacelles and one in cargo bay 4. The cargo bay had apparently received minor damage in the last battle. The captain and Trip went toward the bay.

"Let's set down here, Trip." Archer told his engineer.

"Aye, sir." Trip said as he maneuvered the shuttle down. The two stepped out on to the ship and headed for docking bay 4. The leak was quite visible. Air was spilling out of it like water out of a pitcher. Trip and the captain were almost there when the captain slipped. He looked down and realized he'd stepped on a window, the magnetic boots wouldn't stick to that. He looked into the window to see himself horrified inside. The captain quickly stepped around the window and out of site.

"What's in there, captain?" Trip asked, looking in to see Captain Archer inside. Trip quickly followed the captain around the window and to the leak. The leak was quickly repaired and the two made their way back to the shuttle. The shuttle then picked up the engineers and headed back for the Enterprise.


End file.
